Miley Cyrus had even bigger plans for her now infamous MTV Video Music Awards performance. As the “We Can’t Stop” singer revealed in her Oct. 2 MTV special, Miley: The Movement, she had hoped to push the envelope by appearing partially nude during the Aug. 25 telecast.

“You’re not going to be topless on stage are you?” asked Britney Spears, who collaborated with Cyrus on the song “SMS (Bangerz).” The 20-year-old replied, “I tried, but I don’t think MTV’s going to allow it.”

“Everyone takes the VMAs so seriously, but I just wanna come out and like shoot a hot dog gun,” the platinum-haired pop star added.

Cyrus’ performance with Robin Thickewas poorly received by fans and critics, but she stands by her act. “You can watch the VMAs performance and think it was a hot mess, but it was a strategic hot mess,” she explained. “We’ve been laughing about all the news because everyone else is so serious. It’s great. Because I’m sitting here laughing, meanwhile you guys are all worked up and frazzled. I’m chillin’. I’m on to the next one. I forgot about the performance. That’s so behind now.”

The Tennessee native said she didn’t understand why her twerking and flesh-colored ensemble were considered over-the-top and inappropriate by many viewers. “I am very comfortable with sexuality. I like pushing the boundaries,” Cyrus said. “But I’m coming out in pigtails, looking like a giant adult baby basically, but doing really naughty stuff. That’s obviously funny. If I really wanted to come out and do a raunchy sex show, I wouldn’t have been dressed as a damn bear.”